Pre-flight presentations were held at the Holiday Inn, Glasgow Airport.
Nigel Bradbury provided a 30 minute talk on the stars and constellations that would be visible
during the flight while Pete Lawrence described the origin of the aurora and gave a forecast
for the activity that might be seen during the flight.

Pete had given a 50/50 chance of viewing the aurora for this flight based on the fact that
despite previous activity having been low, there was a chance of a boost from an approaching
burst of charged particles from a coronal hole on the Sun.

Assessing the potential for the display can be difficult due to
the widely fluctuating orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF).
The vertical component of the interplanetary magnetic field is known as
Bz and if Bz points south, the IMF and Earth's magnetic field can
connect and auroral displays are likely to occur. If Bz is north, the
fields oppose one another and the aurora is quiet. Bz was south during the flight
which also assisted the display.

As we headed north the cabin was plunged into darkness and as our eyes
started to dark adapt, so the beauty of the winter night sky began to
reveal itself to us. As we approached station, Pete Lawrence took a number of test
shots which revealed a distinctive green band topped with a reddish glow.
On station the aurora appeared fairly bright and showed a good amount of structure which
changed quite extensively throughout the observing session.

During the flight Pete Lawrence and Nigel Bradbury provided an enthusiastic
commentary on the stars, constellations and auroral activity visible
outside the plane windows. Pete also attempted to photograph the aurora and the best images are
shown below. Exposure times were in the order of 10-20s which, coupled with the fact that the
camera had to be hand-held against the cabin window, explains the slight distortions
visible in the stars.

Our thanks go to the crew and flight deck on this flight who did everything possible to make the
experience very special.

Please feel free to download and use the images for any purpose you like as long as it's
of a non-commercial nature. If you would like to purchase a souvenir 12"x8" photographic print of any of these
photographs, please click on the link provided. Secure payment is made via PayPal but you
don't need a PayPal account to purchase, just a credit or debit card. Delays may occur
if you order during a busy flight sequence so please allow up to 28-days for delivery.

Image ref: GLA5937 by Pete LawrenceYou may download this image for any non-commercial purpose.
If you'd like a 12"x8" photographic print of it (£7.00+ p&p) please click the button below.

Image ref: GLA5950 by Pete LawrenceYou may download this image for any non-commercial purpose.
If you'd like a 12"x8" photographic print of it (£7.00+ p&p) please click the button below.

Image ref: GLA5958 by Pete LawrenceYou may download this image for any non-commercial purpose.
If you'd like a 12"x8" photographic print of it (£7.00+ p&p) please click the button below.

Image ref: GLA5961 by Pete LawrenceYou may download this image for any non-commercial purpose.
If you'd like a 12"x8" photographic print of it (£7.00+ p&p) please click the button below.

Image ref: GLA5966 by Pete LawrenceYou may download this image for any non-commercial purpose.
If you'd like a 12"x8" photographic print of it (£7.00+ p&p) please click the button below.

Image ref: GLA5967 by Pete LawrenceYou may download this image for any non-commercial purpose.
If you'd like a 12"x8" photographic print of it (£7.00+ p&p) please click the button below.

Image ref: GLA5976 by Pete LawrenceYou may download this image for any non-commercial purpose.
If you'd like a 12"x8" photographic print of it (£7.00+ p&p) please click the button below.

Image ref: GLA5987 by Pete LawrenceYou may download this image for any non-commercial purpose.
If you'd like a 12"x8" photographic print of it (£7.00+ p&p) please click the button below.

Image ref: GLA5996 by Pete LawrenceYou may download this image for any non-commercial purpose.
If you'd like a 12"x8" photographic print of it (£7.00+ p&p) please click the button below.

Image ref: GLA6003 by Pete LawrenceYou may download this image for any non-commercial purpose.
If you'd like a 12"x8" photographic print of it (£7.00+ p&p) please click the button below.

Image ref: GLA6011 by Pete LawrenceYou may download this image for any non-commercial purpose.
If you'd like a 12"x8" photographic print of it (£7.00+ p&p) please click the button below.

The Flyglobespan crew: Left to right, Malcolm (Captain), Scott, Katy, Geoff (First Officer) and Donna
Image ref: GLA6021 by Pete LawrenceYou may download this image for any non-commercial purpose.
If you'd like a 12"x8" photographic print of it (£7.00+ p&p) please click the button below.